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Foes of Strike? Older White Guys
The Chicago Sun Times ^ | September 13, 2012 | Rich Miller

Posted on 09/14/2012 9:25:18 AM PDT by PBRCat

[M]ost of the media fall into the category of older white folks without kids in Chicago’s public schools.

Whites who didn’t flee the city after the schools were desegrated fled the schools. Less than 9 percent of Chicago public school kids are white. The “real” schools, as Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called them a few days ago, have long since been abandoned by white folks.

With overwhelming poverty in black and Latino neighborhoods, parents can’t afford private schools. A whopping 87 percent of all public school students come from low-income families.

According to the latest U.S. Census numbers for 2011, almost 843,000 Illinoisans lived in “extreme poverty,” which is defined as half the federal poverty line — about $18,000 for a family of three.

Whoa.

Can you imagine a family of three living on less than $9,000 a year? $173 a week?

The schools are all they have, and the teachers are some of the few decent role models their kids will ever see. Of course they’re siding with the strikers.

Rahm Emanuel used his close ties to President Barack Obama to win the 2011 mayor’s race with an overwhelming number of black votes. But his win was bankrolled by billionaires who are out to break, or at least hobble, the Chicago Teachers Union.

They are the same people who pushed hard for a reform law in Springfield last year that was mainly aimed at stopping a CTU strike. Obviously, the new law didn’t work.

As an older white male who sends his kids to private school, Mayor Emanuel belongs to pretty much the same subset as my pundit friend.

Yet, Emanuel owes his job to support from black voters.

Somehow, the mayor has to improve the schools while alienating neither his political base nor his fund-raising base.

(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: education; emanuel; obama; strike
Obama and Emanuel are caught in a dilemma of their own making.

Lovely!

1 posted on 09/14/2012 9:25:26 AM PDT by PBRCat
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To: PBRCat

“desegrated”?


2 posted on 09/14/2012 9:29:31 AM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: PBRCat
Can you imagine a family of three living on less than $9,000 a year? $173 a week?

Is that figure before or after receiving subsidized housing, subsidized food, subsidized cell phones, etc.?
3 posted on 09/14/2012 9:30:27 AM PDT by chrisser (Starve the Monkeys!)
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To: PBRCat

“With overwhelming poverty in black and Latino neighborhoods, parents can’t afford private schools.”

Sounds like we need school voucher programs. Allow parents to send their kids elsewhere and let the $ follow the kids. I guarantee the competition will improve the quality.


4 posted on 09/14/2012 9:35:52 AM PDT by trailboss800
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To: PBRCat
"Foes of Strike? Older White Guys"

ie. The guys paying for everything.

5 posted on 09/14/2012 9:41:39 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: PBRCat
Can you imagine a family of three living on less than $9,000 a year? $173 a week?

The schools are all they have, and the teachers are some of the few decent role models their kids will ever see. Of course they’re siding with the strikers.


Cuz they gots all the "bling".
6 posted on 09/14/2012 9:47:23 AM PDT by Sopater (...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. - 2 COR 3:17b)
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To: circlecity
And senior citizens narrowly disapproved of the strike 47 percent to 46.8 percent, while all other age groups backed it. The older the person was, the less he or she supported the strike.

Older people have a real dilemma here. On one hand, it is satisfying to see the pubic school teachers making total asses out of themselves. On the other, it is dangerous to have all these feral youths roving the streets when their government day care is not in session.

7 posted on 09/14/2012 9:49:06 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: PBRCat
Create a bunch of charter schools in Chicago, devoted to teaching trade skills along with academics. Auto repair, health services, etc. Have the kids be able to graduate with a skill they can get a job with.

For every non-union charter school that starts up, a union public school can be closed.

When charter schools account for over 50% of students, then let the public school teachers strike. Students will just go to the charter schools, and the public schools will close.

8 posted on 09/14/2012 9:54:51 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Charlie Daniels - Payback Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWwTJj_nosI)
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To: PBRCat

Don’t be saying “old white guys” in relation to Obama. He’ll have to find Biden for a private meeting.

Barry feels the pain at the black public schools, but he has a campaign to attend to. Meanwhile, all of Barry’s children who would be his children, if only Barry could be their missing daddy, are back to running with their gangs and loving it. Leftists are bestist, especially when they care. Rahm could help the kids on the streets by banning sugar drinks over 16oz.


9 posted on 09/14/2012 9:59:27 AM PDT by pallis
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To: chrisser

Non-cash benefits are not counted in poverty statistics, so one can get taxpayer loot in the form of housing, medical care, food stamps, WIC, free meals for the kiddies at taxpayer supported schools, and even a “free” cell phone, and none of that is considered. All that plus a little cash income, the earned income tax credit, and all the taxpayer supplied goodies, and one is still counted as living in poverty. Then there are all the private charities and drives for things like shoes, blankets, fans, school supplies, utility payments, food pantries, etc., and none of that is counted, either.

These folks may be poor in some sense, but they are not living in poverty. Living in poverty is scrounging through garbage dumps and living in a cardboard hut like Obama’s brother.


10 posted on 09/14/2012 10:05:28 AM PDT by Pining_4_TX ( The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else. ~)
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To: PBRCat
The “real” schools, as Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called them a few days ago, have long since been abandoned by white folks.

The "real" schools are also abandoned by blacks who work themselves out of poverty.

11 posted on 09/14/2012 10:07:01 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: trailboss800

This fits neatly with my theory that our cities were destroyed when government took charge of education and then initiated compulsory attendance. Not wanting to be forced to throw their kids in with just anyone who went to the neighborhood school, those who could not afford private school while paying taxes for the government system, fled to the burbs. The only people left in the cities were the very rich who could afford private schools, and those too poor or indifferent to escape. Now our cities are models of third world socialism.


12 posted on 09/14/2012 10:09:21 AM PDT by Pining_4_TX ( The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else. ~)
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To: pallis

Soon as we soak the rich for all we can steal, hand it off to the unions, the kids in the schools will begin getting smarter.

The obama schools agenda:

1. Up the tax on the rich.
2. Up yours


13 posted on 09/14/2012 10:12:01 AM PDT by DPMD
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To: PBRCat

This commentary is so bad that it’s not worthy of dissection.

Vivisection maybe...


14 posted on 09/14/2012 10:26:44 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (Obama, our first Mulligan P06res__ent Resident.)
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To: circlecity

Foes of the strike = The people who pay the taxes. Take the money for the raises out of their welfare checks and see how much they support the strike.


15 posted on 09/14/2012 10:42:50 AM PDT by peeps36 (America is being destroyed by filthy traitors in the political establishment)
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To: peeps36

Whats older white guys got to do with you SOCIALIST DEMOCRATIC FRAUDS striking for more pay when you already are the highest paid teachers in the U.S.


16 posted on 09/14/2012 11:22:53 AM PDT by spawn44 (MOO)
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To: PBRCat
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis...

Have you seen this woman? And have you recovered your sight since that horrendous experience?

The most dangerous place in Chicago is not the 'hood, but between her and the nearest food trough.

17 posted on 09/14/2012 12:54:51 PM PDT by Max in Utah (A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.)
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